Portable electric head lamp



.lilly 4, 1939. W Fl KOEPKE 2,164,529

PORTABLE ELECTRIC HEAD LAMP Filed Oct. 22, 1938 34 INVENTOR VVilzam FKbePKe A ATTO Il Patented July 4, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE y 2,164,529 1 o1vrA l. .LEV lELECTRIC HEAD. LAMP Application October 22, 1938, Serial No. 236,491

2 Claims.

This invention relates to portable electric head lamps and is an improvement over the lamps shown in my Patents Nos. 2,079,075 and 2,099,167.

An object of the present invention is to provide an electric head lamp that is simple and compact in construction.

Another object is to provide a casing for such a lamp that is characterized by fewness of parts. IU Another object is to provide such a lamp with simple and positive switching mechanism.

A further object is to provide such a lamp that is easily assembled and disassembled.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent m from the description thereof to follow taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which- Fig. 1 is a plan View of the improved electric head lamp with associated battery casing and conductors.

Fig. 2 is a siderview of the improved head lamp. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the head lamp.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional View of the hea lamp with the lamp bulb removed.

Fig. 5 is a detail view oi a conducting plate.

Fig. 6 is a sectional View on the plane of the line 6 6 of Fig. 3, showing the parts in open circuit position.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 but showing the parts in closed circuit position.

Fig. 8 is a spread perspective view of the contact members.

Fig. 9 is a detail view partly in section showing the movable switch member in open circuit position.

Fig. 10 is a detail View partly in section showing the movable switch member in closed circuit position.

ber.

My improved electric lamp may be operated by a battery such as shown in my above named patents. This battery comprises a cylindrical casing l5 for housing batteries I6. The open end of the casing is closed by a screw threaded cap l1. This cap is provided with a socket device with suitable contacts, one of which includes a central post I8 which engages the batteries, andthe other oi v which is in electrical connection with the cap l1. The socket has suitable openings in linewith the contacts to receive the prong members of an ordinary electrical plug I9 which conducts the current from the battery by means of the conductors Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a contact mem- The lamp comprises a hollow casing which may Y be formed of Bakelite or othersuitable insulating material and comprises two parts 22 and 23 connected by pins 24 or thelike.v The base is formed 5 with a curved outer surface-25 to conformto the curvature of the forehead of the user and an inner semi-circular floor portion 2B. End walls 21 and 28 of parts 22 and23, respectively, are formed integrally with the base and each is pro- 10 vided with an inner socket portion or bearing member 29.

A hollow cylindrical or barrel shaped member 30 of the same material as the casing is positioned between the end walls 21 and 28 and has its ends 15 loosely mounted in the socket bearings 29, the remainder of the barrel loosely engaging the semicircular floor portion 29 whereby said barrel may be rotated relatively to the casing member. This barrel shaped member 30 is provided with a circular opening 3|r in its upper wall.' The end'walls 32 and 33 oi this barrel are formed with openings 34 and 35, respectively, which are in alignment with openings 36 and 31, in the end walls 21 and 28, respectively of the casing. 2

Mounted in the barrel 33 against the end wall 33 is a metal contact member 38 asA shown in Fig. 11 comprising a disk 39 and an elongated strip 40 seated on 'the floor of the barrel and eX- tending inwardly toward the center'thereof as 30' shown in Fig. 3. The disk 33 has a central opening 4|. Mounted in the other end 32 of the barrel is another metal contact member 42. This contact '42 comprises a disk 43 with a centralY opening 44 andan elongated strip 45`provided 35 with an off-set portion 46 supporting a ring shaped plate or socket 41 which is provided'with a screw threaded opening 48. The socket 41 may be provided 'with a peripheral downwardly extending lug 49 which engages a part of the wall 40 of the base and helps to seat the contact 42 and prevent it from moving. The socket41 is positioned above vand spaced from the strip portion 40 of contact 38 with its opening 48 directly in line with saidstrip 40. Disk 43 is provided with 45 a slotted portion 50 in its periphery, which slotted portion is provided with a straight wall 5I and slanted endwallil as'shown in Figs. A8 and 9. Extending 'through the aligned 'e openings 31 Yand 35 of end walls 28 and 33, respectively, and 50 i through opening 4I of contact member 38 is a stem orpost 52, which is square in cross sectionand isV provided witha groove'53 adjacent its outer end. On theouter end of the stem 52 is supported a plate 54, one wall ofits square shaped open- 55 A post or stem 58 similar in construction,A to

stem 52 lextends through the aligned openings of end walls 21 and 32, respectively, and through aligned opening 44 of disk 43 of contact 42. A conducting plate 59 is supported and interlocked on the outer end of stem 58 similar to plate 54,

and a terminal screw 60 connects the plate with,

conductor 2|.

Mounted on the stem 58 inside the barrel and inwardly of the vdisk 43 is a metal finger member 6| having a lug or nose portion 62 extending outwardly toward disk 43. An insulating washer 63 separates nger member 6| from disk 43. A spiral spring 64 surrounds the inner end of stem 58 and has one end fastened to the inner end of said stem and its outer convolution impinging against nger member 6| normally urging the stem inwardly and the nger piece outwardly so that its lug 62 is normally positioned in the slotted portion 56 of the disk 43 and out of Contact with said disk 43. The spring 64 also normally clamps the disk 43 and plate 59 to the end walls 32 and 21, respectively.

Mounted in the socket 41 of contact member 42 is a lamp bulb 65, the central terminal of which engages the contact strip 40 of contact 38, the other terminal of which lamp bulb is in engagement with the `contact 42 through the socket 41. A reflector member 66 surrounds the lamp bulb and has its outer edge positioned in the central opening 3| of the barrel member 39. A magnifying lens 61 isseated in the outer edge of the reecto-r and said reflector and lens are clamped to the wall of the central opening of the barrel by means of a wire spring member 68.

In order to protect the connections between the conductors 20 and 2| 'and conducting plates 54 and 59, respectively, insulating covers 69 and 10, respectively, of rubber, may be provided. These covers also permit easy sliding movement of a clip 1| which may be slidably supported on the conductors 20 and 2| whereby said conductors may be held in adjusted looped position around the head of the user of the lamp, the lamp being mounted on the forehead and the conductors 20 and 2| looped around the head and held thereon by the clip 1I.

The barrel 30, contacts 38 and 42, and lamp bulb and associated parts turn in unison whereas the stems 52 and 58 and the nger piece 6| remain stationary.

The circuit through lamp bulb is as follows: central terminal I8 of batteries I6, one contact of plug |9, conductor 20, plate 54, stem 52, contact 38, central terminal of lamp bulb 65, side terminal of lamp bulb 65, contact 42, finger member 6|, stem 58, conducting plate 59, conductor 2|, other contact of plug |9 to the other terminal Vor batteries I6.

means of the clip 1| restricting the openingzbetween the conductors 20 and 2|. When the barrel is in straight position such as shown in Fig. 6, the contact member 6| is in on position and remains in on position when tilted to one side, such as when tilted downwardly, but when tilted to the opposite side, such as shown in Fig. '1, the slotted portion 5|] of disk 43 is moved into alignment with the lug 62 of member 6| and breaks the circuit putting out the lamp bulb. Movement of the barrel to the off position is limited by the barrel coming into contact with the side walls of the casing before the lug 62 engages the straight wall 5| of the slot 50.

I claim:

l. A portable electric head lamp including a casing, a hollow barrel shaped member rotatable in the casing, a contact member having a disk portion positioned against the inner surface of one end wall of the barrel and having a strip portion extending along the bottom of the barrel to the center thereof, another contact member having a disk portion against the inner surface of the other end wall and having a stripportion and a socket portion, said socket portion being spaced from the iirst named strip portion but in alignment therewith, the disk portion of said last named contact member having a slotted portion in its periphery, said contact members being movable with said barrel shaped member,

a xed contact member in the path of movement and adapted to be engaged by the last named contact member and a lamp bulb in said socket portion and having its central terminal in engagement with said rst named strip, said fixed contact member being so arranged relative to said last named contact member that rotation of said barrel shaped member in either direction will cause engagement of said contact members and close the circuit through said lamp bulb.

2. A portable electric head lamp comprising a cylindrical metal casing, a battery in said casing, a removable metal cap on one end of the battery casing, a socket carried by said cap, contacts on said socket, one `of said contacts being electrically connected to one terminal of the battery, the other of said contacts being electrically connected with the metal cap, a plug mounted on said socket and having its prongs in electrical connection with the contacts of the socket, a hollow lamp casing formed of insulating material and having a curved base portion and end walls, a barrel shaped member of insulating material rotatably mounted in said casing, said barrel and casing having aligned openings in their end walls, metal posts extending through the said aligned openings, a Contact member having a disk portion connected to one of said posts and having an integral strip portion extending along the bottom of the barrel to the center thereof, another contact member having a disk portion connected to the other of said posts and having an inwardly extending strip portion and a socket portion, said socket'portion being spaced from the rst named strip portion but in alignment therewith, the disk portion of said last named contact member having a slotted portion in its periphery, said contact members being movable with said barrel shaped member, said posts being stationary on the casing, a xed contact member spaced from said last named contact but having a nose portion in the slotted portion thereof and adapted to engage the last named contact member, a lamp bulb in said socket portion havingl its central terminal with said second named strip, a conductor electrically connecting one of said plug prongs with the first named strip portion, another conductor electrically connecting the other of said plug prongs with the second named strip, and switching mechanism for placing the contact strips in electrically conductive relationship with the conductors, said mechanism including a post connected to one of said conductors, and a metal nger member mounted on said post and normally having a nose portion in the slotted portion of said second named contact member and in alignment with said contact member Whereby movement of the latter will cause engagement of the nger member and said latter contact member for closing the circuit.

WILLIAM F. KOEPKE. 

